Mavs look to end perfect homestand with win over Suns

The Dallas Mavericks look to finish off a perfect homestand Saturday night when the Phoenix Suns visit American Airlines Center.

The Mavericks (28-36) are riding a four-game winning streak, tying a season high. Another win would not only set a new standard for 2016-17, but would also complete an undefeated 5-0 week on their home floor.

Dallas is coming off Friday night's 105-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Mavs trailed for much of the first three quarters, but used a 22-8 run to open the fourth and pull way for the win.

"They are a physical team, a very athletic team, in a lot of ways more athletic than we are, so we definitely had to focus in on rebounding," said Mavs forward Dwight Powell, who had eight boards.

The Mavericks were able to get J.J. Barea back after missing 20 games. The veteran guard had nine points and three assists in 14 minutes.

"Man, it's fun. I'm excited to be back, it's been a while," Barea said. "It felt good, I was moving good, I was helping my team out, and we got a win. It's good to be back and get a win, and help my teammates out."

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle noted the spark Barea provided.

"I thought that Barea, in the second half, gave us some good direction on offense and he played smart on defense," Carlisle said. "We were playing zone which was something that helped us, so it is good to have him back."

Phoenix (21-44) had their butts kicked, coach Earl Watson said, in a 122-110 loss at home to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The Lakers were on an eight-game losing streak before stunning the Suns.

"They did a good job of just being the toughest team on the court from beginning to end," Watson said. "Too many turnovers. It's starting to be every night. That can't happen. And defensively we gave up."

The Suns had been on an uptick before L.A. came to town. Phoenix had won three of the its first four on a homestand that ended with the dud against the Lakers.

Alan Williams is on a roll, having piled up five straight double-doubles off the bench. That's the longest streak by a Suns reserve in franchise history and the longest by any NBA player off the bench since Miami's Hassan Whiteside (six) in March 2016.

T.J. Warren has two straight double-doubles after only having one in his career prior to the last two games.

Phoenix backcourt mates Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe are both averaging better than 20 points per game. Booker is averaging 30.5 points against the Mavs this season.

The Mavericks and Suns have split two games this season. Phoenix snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 102-95 win at Dallas on Jan. 5. The Mavs picked up their win a week later, 113-108, in Mexico City.

The Mavericks have won 23 of the last 32 regular-season matchups between the two teams, and 26 of the last 34 in Dallas. The Mavs are 20-14 at home, while Phoenix is 8-24 on the road.